At his first turn at diplomacy, Benjamin Franklin mediated growing tensions between Native Americans and Pennsylvania citizens. Franklin's autobiography states the Indians "...were near one hundred men, women, and children... lodg'd in temporary cabins built in the form of a square, just without the town." Although a treaty was signed, it was short lived; further bloodshed during the French and Indian War could not be avoided.

Confederate artillery under the command of Captain James Breathed located their guns at this road junction to shell the town on July 1, 1863. The Confederates, part of Major General J.E.B. Stuart's cavalry division, shelled the town, but were unsuccessful in their attempt to capture ir before being called to the major battle at Gettysburg.

William Penn's sons granted permission for construction of a Presbyterian meeting house on the Square's northwest side with provisions that the land would always be used for a religious organization, no burial ground would be established there, any open land would be fenced in and the congregation would pay a nominal annual fee. Colonists met here in 1774 to support Massachusetts' defiance of England. Confederate shells struck the building during the 1863 Invasion.

This marker, provided by Carlisle's Rotary Club, orients visitors to the borough. Carlisle was organized by William Penn's sons in a grid pattern. Streets are paralell, 2 blocks in each direction from the central 'square' with the outermost named North, South, East, and West. Interior street names honor Penn family and friends. Main streets are 60 feet wide, secondary streets 40 feet wide, and alleys 20 feet.

A pathway in Memorial Park at the corner of North Pitt and West Penn Streets leads to the former site of the African-American Cemetery, resting place of several soldiers who served with the 54th Massachusetts at Fort Wagner in 1863, portrayed in the movie, "Glory." Additional markers, placed by Carlisle's African-American community, commemorate individuals once buried here and their contributions to the community and nation.

Armstrong lived on the northeast corner of High and Bedford Streets, two blocks away. He befriended George Washington when both were surveyors during the French and Indian War. They remained lifelong friends. His son, John Armstrong, Jr., served in the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812 and was a diplomatic Minister to France in President Jefferson's administration. His other son, James, was an eminent physician here in Carlisle for many years.

The Penns planned for the jail to be on the Square; circumstances resulted in its placement one block east. A 1777 letter from British officers imprisoned here referred to the original stone jail as "...the worst on the continent, being rather a ruin than a jail... destroying our healths..." This 1854 structure was built to accommodate 96 men and 10 women along with living accommodations for the sheriff and his family.

Company G of the PA Guard's 8th Infantry Regiment was ordered into federal service in July of 1917. Known as The Gobin Guards, this building served as the armory for Company G until a new armory was built on Cavalry Road in 1931. Being reassigned to Pennsylvania's 28th Infantry Division, the Gobin Guards served with distinction in key battles on the Western Front.

Formed in 1779, St. Patrick Church was the first Catholic congregation west of the Susquehanna River, sixth Catholic Parish in Pennsylvania and believed to be the first named for St. Patrick. Father Ganss, pastor from 1890 to 1910, composed music for John Philip Sousa. Visit the cemetery in the back and, if the doors are open, visit the beautiful church sanctuary.

Revolutionary War period gunsmith Thomas Butler, Sr. had his residence and gunsmith shop located at this site. Butler provided gunsmith services to soldiers of the Cumberland County militia and also served as an armorer to the Continental Congress. Butler and his wife had five sons, who were all distinguished officers in the Revolutionary War and whose descendants continued to serve in years to come. The marker details their story.

A riot and subsequent trial took place at the 1846 Courthouse across the street. Dickinson College's Professor McClintock's knowledge of a newly enacted law affecting fugitive slaves led to the 1847 riot that made national news in the turbulent years leading to the Civil War. Dickinson considered dismissing McClintock because of his involvement; he was not dismissed.

In the years prior to the American Revolution, Native American raids and kidnappings forced families to abandon their homesteads and flee to Carlisle for protection. When hostilities ended in 1764, General Henry Bouquet brought a group of white captives to Carlisle. Anxious families gathered in the public square hoping to find lost loved ones. In a dramatic scene, Regina Hartman was reunited here with her mother, nine years after her kidnapping.

During four days in the summer of 1863, Carlisle was occupied by Confederate troops and subjected to one long night of artillery shelling. Marks of the shelling can be observed in the Old Courthouse sandstone pillar and a window sill to the right. They were dubbed "Lee's calling cards" for Confederate Brigadier General Fitzhugh Lee, the nephew of Robert E. Lee, whose artillery shelled Carlisle. Another "calling card" marks the front of 15 W. High St., half a block to the northwest.